


Am I Really Worth Giving Up Your Wings?

by JinxGiggly



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Brief mentions of hanamaki/matsukawa, Brief mentions of oikawa/iwaizumi, Fluff, M/M, brief mentions of daichi/sugawara, brief mentions of kageyama/hinata
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-10
Updated: 2016-02-10
Packaged: 2018-05-19 14:21:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5970148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JinxGiggly/pseuds/JinxGiggly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Akaashi sat on the top of a building, swinging his feet in a bored rhythm while the wind cuddled his soft, black hair. He is only doing his usual job: shoot arrows and make people fall in love with their soulmates.  His watch shows he has only one more to go, it's the last one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Am I Really Worth Giving Up Your Wings?

**Author's Note:**

> This is a 3am idea and my first fanfic (please be nice). I'd like to thank the amazing Allie (eclecticinkling) for being my beta and the trash squad (Clara and Pam) who thought this was a good idea. I hope you enjoy!

Akaashi sat on the top of a building, swinging his feet in a bored rhythm while the wind cuddled his soft, black hair. Wearing a black turtle neck sweater and pants in a military pattern, he watched the streets like an owl, searching for his prey, hunting for a sign, red and beating. He looked carefully at every person walking in that rumbling street underneath his feet that was filled with light and noises.

 

“C’mon, give me a sign,” he mumbled to himself.

 

Then, he saw it: a young woman, walking at a very slow pace, seeming frustrated and unhappy. Her chest was bright red, her heart beating fast. She was a target.

 

He positioned himself, putting all his weight on his right foot. A black bow appeared in his hands, and he inclined his body to target with his arrow. His white wings opened, contrasting with his clothes, keeping his body from falling to the street more than 110 meters below. Stable, he shot the arrow.

 

It crossed the sky, gracefully falling in a perfect parabola, just as he had calculated. Thanks to gravity, it hit the woman’s back.

 

The woman stumbled and fell on a man, shocking him. He caught her, trying to help. His chest was also vividly red, pulsing at the same frequency as the woman’s. Quickly, Akaashi summoned a new arrow and shot it once more, hitting the man, but right on his chest this time. The man’s eyes widened in surprise, then started to shine with new life. His heart began beating faster.

 

Akaashi smiled. He could see the man and the woman talking to each other-- the woman apologizing for her clumsiness and the man assuring her it was no problem at all. They were smiling, their pupils dilated and their cheeks deeply flushed, as if they had a fever. He noticed how they started walking together. The man pointed to a coffee shop and they went inside.

 

Sighing, Akaashi pulled his sleeve back and checked his watch. It was just eight pm, and he only had one more service to perform. He scrunched his nose.

 

 _Weird,_ he thought, _I’ve never had a last service. Angels don’t typically rest... What in Heaven’s name is happening?_

 

He looked at the streets again, watching the crowd walk about and the cars pass by, their engines and horns blaring. He breathed deeply and let the air flow through his lungs, calming himself down.

 

This was his job for centuries: shooting people with his enchanted arrows to make them meet their soulmates. He liked to see their reactions-- the pupils dilating, smiles stretching across their faces like they’d finally found the missing piece to complete their puzzles. He wondered what it felt like to them, that feeling of fulfillment, as he’d read about in his books. Wondered what it was like to feel like his life was worthy, even apart from his job.

 

The watch beeped and showed that the new target was quite near, in the same building, getting closer to where he is.

 

“Here?” he asked himself. “How..”

 

He heard steps coming from the door that led to the terrace he stood on. He spun around and saw a man with white, spiky hair appear.

 

Akaashi wondered for a moment if he was a creature from another world. His  appearance resembled some sort of owl-human creature, spiky hair looking exactly like a horned owl. He wore a tuxedo with a white shirt, but his tie was a bit scruffy, like he’d just come from a party. The owl man looked at Akaashi surprised, then smiled widely.

 

“Hey!” the man called enthusiastically. “What a nice costume you have!”

 

Akaashi looked confused.

 

“Can you see me?” Akaashi asked.

 

“Of course I can see you! Why couldn’t I?”

 

 _That’s… impossible,_ Akaashi thought. _Humans can’t see angels._

 

The man got closer, almost running across the terrace to touch Akaashi’s white wings.

 

“What are they made of? Swan feathers? Artificial ones? They look so realistic!.”

 

“They _are_ real,” Akaashi answered.

 

The man’s face scrunched in confusion.

 

“I’m an angel.”

 

The man looked at him in shock. He seemed to be processing, or coming to some decision. Akaashi wondered what it might be. If the man might:

  1. A)Laugh at him and say he’s funny,
  2. B)  Run away,



Or, C)  Say he’s mad and should go to a psychiatrist.

 

However, the man simply smiled even wider and said, “Oh, so that’s why you’re really pretty and angelic like.”

 

Akaashi felt his cheeks burning in embarrassment. He didn’t expect this reaction to come from a human. As far as he’d read, humans were selfish, proud of themselves, and they rarely complimented others, especially for their looks or knowledge. This didn’t add up.

 

Akaashi smiled at the man; something warm flowed down his body. “Thank you,” he said.

 

“So, why are you carrying this bow?” the man asked, pointing at the object in Akaashi’s hand.

 

Akaashi admired his bow: a long, black curve, forged in onyx stone by his superiors in the angels’ hierarchy. It was covered in ancient writing to set his spells, and decorated with silver leaf wherever possible.

 

“I… shoot arrows with spells… and people fall in love with each other,” Akaashi explained awkwardly.

 

“Really? That’s awesome!” The man beamed. “So you’re Cupid!”

 

“A what?” Akaashi asked, confused.

 

“Cupid, the god of love in classical mythology! I learned at school that he shot magic arrows to make people fall for each other. But… you don’t look like an old man.”

 

“Oh… Well… No… I’m not a god. I’m just a minor angel trying to do my job. The Sky Department just put me in charge since Yaku-san became human… But it’s no big deal, and it’s not a hard job. It’s quite nice to see people fall in love.”

 

_What an interesting man… I wonder what he’s doing here at such an hour, and in such cold weather too._

 

“Oh, pardon me. I completely forgot to introduce myself. I’m Bokuto Koutarou,” the man, Bokuto, said, stretching out his hand

 

Akaashi looked at it and then bowed.

 

“Akaashi… Akaashi Keiji. I’m really sorry but I cannot touch you. I’m like a ghost. It’s useless to try.”

 

Bokuto looked at Akaashi, but his smile didn’t disappear, even if Akaashi couldn’t greet him properly.

 

“So that’s why you’re shining, and a little bit transparent… So, your name is Akaashi… AKAAASHI. What a pretty name! It sounds nice. It has an open vowel,” Bokuto said with a smile.

 

 _What a lovely person too_ , thought Akaashi.

 

Then, Akaashi noticed: Bokuto’s breathing accelerated. His heart was beating in the brightest way Akaashi had seen in his career as a shooter, and it was the most beautiful heart he had ever encountered-- pure and burtsing with happiness.

 

“What, a perfect target,” Akaashi muttered, not realizing he was speaking aloud.

 

“What?”

 

Akaashi shook his head and smiled. “Nothing… Bokuto-san, you’ll fall in love tonight.”

 

“Really?! With who?” Bokuto asked, almost jumping in excitement.

 

“I’m not sure. But they’re near.”

 

Akaashi turned to the corner of his building where he’d initially been before Bokuto had interrupted him in order to search the streets. He knew that when a new target appeared, the matching target would be close by so the two could meet and to fall for the other.

 

Bokuto copied Akaashi’s movements, stepping closer. They stood side by side, looking at the immensity of Tokyo, the city that never stopped, shining with its electrical panels of news and advertisments and information.

 

“Man, that’s what I was wishing for,” Bokuto said, resting his face in his hands.

 

Akaashi looked at Bokuto while the latter stared down at the street.

 

“All of my friends are engaged… Oikawa and Iwaizumi, Daichi and Sugawara, Matsu and Makki… Even my kouhais like Kageyama and Hinata… And… I’m here… all alone by myself,” Boktuo sighed with a little hint of sadness. “I threw a party downstairs in my apartment… called my friends and some people from my work, asked them to invite more people. I’m trying to get a girlfriend or a boyfriend, you know, meet new people… But, it just… doesn’t work, you know?”

 

“You just… don’t feel they’re the right person for you?”

 

“Exactly! They don’t have chemistry, you know? Well, to be honest, I don’t… My friends say that when I meet the right person, my heart will start to beat faster and I’ll feel butterflies in my stomach. And, somehow, I should know… But I don’t.”

 

Bokuto was looking down the streets, searching with Akaashi.

 

Akaashi understood exactly what Bokuto described. Sometimes, when Akaashi was stressed with his work and needed some motivation, he searched for some of his former targets and watched their lives. Happiness. Cheerfulness. Akaashi could see them dating, marrying, having children, loving. He thought it must be a wonderful feeling. They would die for the other rather than spend the rest of their lives alone.

 

“I got annoyed,” Bokuto continued, interrupting Akaashi’s thoughts. “Everyone had their partners. Kissing and having a good time with their soulmate and I… I’m just an idiot who looked at them with envy. I felt suffocated, even in my own house. So I came up here to breathe some air and calm myself down. But, as I climbed the stairs, I could feel my heart get light and calm and… I met an angel.”

 

Bokuto laughed, but Akaashi noticed some hints of melancholy in Bokuto’s voice. He rested his free hand (as the other one was holding the bow) on Bokuto’s shoulder.

 

“Everyone has a soulmate, Bokuto-san. You’ll find out today. I’m sure,” Akaashi said warmly.

 

The wind blew gently, ruffling Akaashi’s hair again. He was a bit frustrated: usually, when he found a target it would take less than five minutes for him to find the other one, even on a busy street.

 

Questions swam through his mind _. Was Bokuto his only target? Why couldn’t he find the other one? And why was his heart beating so fast and his cheeks burning? Had he somehow caught a cold?_

 

“Hey, can I ask a question?” Bokuto voiced, breaking the silence between them.

 

“Sure.”

 

“Can _you_ fall in love as well?”

 

Akaashi hesitated. He tried to hide the blush in his cheeks, looking at the ground instead of at Bokuto.

 

“Yes. I can. But… it’s quite rare. Angels only fall in love when God believes they deserve a reward.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Well, as far as I know, God thinks that falling in love is the happiest and most wonderful thing a soul can experience. Angels, as a merit, can fall in love and bring the most fortunate humans true and pure happiness. But, it has its price: I lose my divinity.”

 

Bokuto admired the way Akaashi spoke. His golden eyes were shinning, even in the dim light that came from the neon lights of Tokyo.

 

 _His eyes… Look like precious stones. Quite charming. They almost seem to be sparkling_ , Akaashi thought.

 

“I see,” Bokuto answered. He smiled warmly at Akaashi, whose chest grew warm. “I think you deserve that.”

 

“What?”

 

“To fall in love. Everyone I know says that it’s a wonderful feeling. You feel complete, satisfied with life.”

 

Akaashi looked at the man with interesting and wondered why he felt this man was a different one.

 

“But it’s harder to fall in love when you’re an angel. You have to earn it,” Akaashi said.

 

“But it’s not impossible.”

 

Bokuto smiled at Akaashi, who smiled faintly back.

 

“Hey, I have a great idea!” Bokuto exclaimed. “How about I help you find my soulmate, so you can finish your job faster, right? You look frustrated and bored.”

 

“I… don’t mind… You’re the last one in the list, which is weird because it has never happened.”

 

“Am I annoying?” Bokuto asked. He looked a bit sad.

 

“No. To be honest, you’re great company.”

 

Bokuto smiled.

 

 _I really do like his smile. Why am I feeling so warm and so… happy when he smiles_ , thought Akaashi.

 

“How do you know when someone has to fall in love?”  -Bokuto asked, looking at Akaashi with his golden eyes, like a child asking for a gift.

 

“Well, firstly, you have to search for the heart.”

 

“Right! And…?”

 

“Then, you’ll see a bright and vivid red or pinkish color, like a strong fire. You can see the heart beating fast, and in the same frequency as its match. And then…”

 

“So… you mean… like yours?”

 

Akaashi looked at Bokuto in confusion.

 

“What?”

 

“Your chest…. it’s burning in bright red.”

 

Akaashi looked down at his chest. His heart was completely visible, bright and colorful in various shades of red. His heart was beating fast and at the same frequency as Bokuto’s. He smiled in surprise, but also in happiness.

 

“So that’s why my chest felt heavy and warm…” Akaashi pondered.

 

He looked at Bokuto and smiled at him.

 

“I knew you were different, but… I’d never realized that I’d receive this prize… To fall in love and become human.”

 

“Something inside me said I needed to go to the terrace… What are we going to do?” Bokuto asked.

 

Akaashi held up his black bow. He looked at the inscriptions and passed the fingers on them, whispering. He summoned an arrow, a silver one, while reading the writings.

 

“I… I have to pierce you with this. They say that it hurts a bit,” Akaashi said. “Do you want… to pierce yourself or…”

 

Bokuto took the silver arrow in his hands: lighter than he thought yet longer than he expected.

 

He smiled warmly at Akaashi.

 

“I can tolerate a bit of pain if that’s what it takes to have you,” Bokuto said. “It’s not every day that you find the love of your life. Especially when it’s a beautiful angel.”

 

He held the arrow in his two hands, and then pierced his chest. Numbness traveled through his spine and his head, making him feel a little bit dizzy and, for just for a moment, everything went dark. A warm voice echoed through his head, and then something shook him, trying to wake him up.

 

“Bokuto-san?” the voice asked.

 

Bokuto opened his golden eyes and looked at dark, worried, but beautiful eyes. He had collapsed on the terrace where he found the angel, but now there was, in its place, an angelic looking face that he was now familiar with: Akaashi’s face.  

 

“Akaashi! Where are your wings?”

 

Akaashi smiled faintly, pointing to his back.

 

“I’ve lost them.”

 

Bokuto sat up. He could see the long feathers of Akaashi’s wings falling from his back and disappearing before they touched the floor.

 

“Why?! They were so cool and awesome!”

 

Akaashi held Bokuto’s arms and smiled, truly and happily. His touch was soft and delicate, just as Bokuto had imagined.

 

“’Once you fall in love, you lose your divinity, in order to taste something sweeter.’ It’s what they said in Heaven when I first applied to be an angel.”

 

“Oh… So… It’s because of me… that you lost your wings?”

 

“And my immortality.”

 

Bokuto’s smile disappeared. He felt bad.

 

“So now, you’ll die one day,” he said sadly.

 

“Yes, but now I can do this.”

 

Akaashi leaned in and, with eyes closed, pressed his lips against Bokuto’s. A sweet taste filled their mouths, followed by a warm feeling.

 

 _Like my brain is melting,_ Akaashi thought.

 

His heart was beating loudly but slowly. He felt like the whole world had stopped to appreciate the angel losing his wings and divinity. The world seemed calm and relaxed.

 

 _Ah, so that’s how it feels to love and be loved_ , they both thought as they kissed.

 

Bokuto cupped Akaashi’s cheeks and deepened their kiss. Their tongues met in lust and desire, slowly and in rhythm that made the angel and the man feel their puzzle fall into place. They smiled when Akaashi pushed away a bit to look into Bokuto’s golden eyes. Those eyes which, in Akaashi’s opinion, shone brighter than the most precious stone.

 

“Am I really worth giving up your wings, Keiji?”

 

Akaashi felt his chest tighten when Bokuto said his first name. His cheeks burned, and were probably colored the most ridiculous shade of red. He smiled gently.

 

“I’d rather live a mortal life loving and being loved at your side than to be immortal and only watch others living it.”

  
He kissed Bokuto once more, knowing that his last feather had fallen to the ground and disappeared along with his bow and arrow.  

**Author's Note:**

> Find me:  
> Tumblr: jinxgiggly.tumblr.com


End file.
